


The Coffee Shop AU This Fandom DESERVES

by haha_writting_goes_brrrrrrrrr



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bakery and Coffee Shop, Cats, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Look at me branching out I didn’t even add Error, M/M, so fucking soft, this is the softest thing I’ll ever write, widdle bit of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26556823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haha_writting_goes_brrrrrrrrr/pseuds/haha_writting_goes_brrrrrrrrr
Summary: Hearts hears about this excellent coffee shop and decides to check it outCcino just so happens to be absolutely adorable And an excellent barista
Relationships: Hearts/Ccino, sans/sans
Comments: 16
Kudos: 45





	The Coffee Shop AU This Fandom DESERVES

Hearts let out a sigh, glaring at his phone as he strode through an unfamiliar street. He’s been hearing from the other Sans’ that this world has an amazing coffee shop run by this universe’s Sans. Some of the more coffee obsessed skeletons claimed it was one of the best they’ve had, and with reviews like that it was only a matter of time before Hearts came to see for himself. Unfortunately he’s been walking around this street for ten minutes, his phone changing the direction he’s supposed to go in every few minutes. He scowled as the phone recalculated once more.

“Damn GPS, always gets wonky in this chunk of the multiverse. Ok ok so it should be just around this corner and, ugh  _ finally _ !”

Hearts let out a dramatic sigh of relief at the cheerful sign. The outside looked rather plain, but something about it came off as friendly to Hearts. Maybe that was because of the cat sleeping right outside the door. Hearts paused beside the animal and crouched down to give it a couple scratches behind the ear. He had to suppress a delighted squeal when the fluffy cat purred and pushed it’s head into Heart’s hand. Giving the cat one final scritch under the chin, Hearts stood up and pushed open the door to the cafe. Immediately he found himself surrounded by the scent of coffee. The lights were just bright enough for him to see clearly, casting a warm glow across the room. The cafe itself was rather small, but absolutely covered in pastel coloring. Were the colors a shade brighter or darker it would look obnoxious, but the soft pastel shades blending together made Hearts feel relaxed just by looking at them. The furniture in the room offset the light shades with dark brown seating and cream colored rugs. 

Up at the front a small skeleton stood, humming as he cleaned the bar in front of him. At the sound of the door opening he had looked up, a soft smile on his face. Heart’s breath hitched for a moment as he made eye contact with the barista. He looked like the typical Sans, but somehow softer. Big, slightly fuzzy eyelights stared at Hearts as the barista set down his rag and changed gloves. Absolutely adorable seemed to be the only way to describe the monster.

“Hello,” his voice was smooth and warm, making Heart’s grin widen unconsciously. “What can I get for you?”

Hearts glanced at the menu before ordering a type of latte that seemed interesting. He watched as the barista bustled around his workplace, grabbing a cup and chatting as he worked.

“You’re a Sans too correct? I don’t believe I’ve seen you here yet, if you don’t mind me asking what is your nickname? You can call me Ccino if you wish?”

Hearts let out a chuckle at the name,  _ a cute name for a cute barista _ he thought to himself.

“My name is Hearts, it’s a pleasure to meet ya darlin’. I heard some good things about your amazing coffee and just had to try it for myself.”

Ccino set down the steaming cup in front of Hearts, letting out a shy giggle. “W-well I don’t know about amazing, but I do hope you a-at least enjoy it?” He seemed to shrink into his turtleneck the more he spoke, but grew silent as Hearts lifted the cup and took his first sip.

And then his second.

And then his third.

Before he knew it, Hearts had downed the entire cup. He let out a content sigh and gave Ccino a bright grin. “That was amazing,” he gushed as Ccino seemed to collapse with relief over the praise. “My my Reaper was not kidding when he said this was the best coffee, what on Earth is your secret?!”

Ccino let out a laugh, his smile growing slightly mischievous. “Now now Hearts, if I gave away my secrets to every sweet talking customer, I’d be out of business!”

Hearts shrugged, handing over the money for his drink. “Hey at least I tried, well if I can’t get the recipe can I buy another to go?” Ccino nodded and took the money for both drinks. While he was distracted making the second one Hearts slipped a twenty in the little tips jar sitting beside the register. Whatever the skeleton was making off of this was not enough, he deserved much more than whatever a small business makes. 

Hearts took the freshly made latte with a smile, waving to Ccino as he walked towards the door.

“Thank you, please come again!”

The last thing Hearts heard before closing the door was a gasp and the clinking sound of a hand reaching into a jar.

Heart’s took Ccino’s farewell to heart and came back as often as he could for more coffee. The little skeleton was delighted at having a new regular customer, especially one who tipped well. At first Ccino tried to reject the money, claiming it was too much, but Hearts was nothing if not a persistent monster, and was satisfied to see Ccino’s arguments wear down until he took the money with nothing more than a grateful smile. It was around that point that Hearts started noticing something new about his cups. With every new latte he got a written message on his cup. Most of them were small things like ‘have a nice day!’ or ‘your sweater looks really cute today’ but each one left Hearts grinning like a fool. Usually he found himself at ease when the little sign of his favorite coffee shop came into view, looking forward to his interaction with the barista, but not today. Today he was going to try something new.

Their interaction started off normally, Ccino comfortable enough with Hearts to where they can joke around and tease one another as the coffee is made. This time though, after paying the barista, Hearts found himself hesitating.

“Hey,” he trailed off, fiddling with the cup in his hands nervously. Ccino tilted his head, staring inquisitively at Hearts. “Would you maybe want to, I don’t know, exchange numbers? I really enjoy talking with you, and it would be cool to do it more often.” 

Hearts would’ve probably continued rambling, when two warm hands covered his own, preventing his fidgeting. Hearts looked up to see Ccino smiling bigger than he’s ever seen, little stars forming where his eyelights usually were.

“I’d love to exchange numbers,” he exclaims, Hearts could almost feel him shaking in excitement. “Oh let me go grab my phone I’ll be right back!” Hearts blinked as Ccino all but launched himself up the stairs next to his bar, skidding across the floor as he went. 

A few minutes later, Hearts walked out of the store in a daze, weakly clutching a coffee. A friend, an honest to god  _ friend _ . Someone who knew nothing about who he was or wanted anything but friendship out of him. It was almost too good to be true! Hearts had to restrain himself from dancing right there in the middle of the street, walking a little bit faster to burn off the energy he suddenly found himself with. 

_ A friend. _ Hearts let that word cycle through his mind, savoring it at every angle. It’s not too often he makes one of those. Even with his alternate selves things started off rather rocky, though he is glad to see things relaxed now. Hearts pushed the darker worries into the back of his mind, not wanting to focus on how things might change when Ccino finds out about who he is and what he does. 

  
  


Over the course of a few weeks Hearts found himself constantly on his phone, much to the displeasure of his brother and Undyne whenever they caught him at it during work. The other Sans’ had found out about his newfound friendship with Ccino and the teasing was nonstop. Hearts liked puns as much as the next Sans, but if he heard one more “you must like him a latte” he was going to throw the jokester and himself out of the nearest window. 

Still despite the teasing and lectures, Hearts never felt happier than when he was texting his new friend, everyday they would send each other funny stories and jokes back and forth, slowly getting to know one another better as time went on.

Then one day, about three days ago, Ccino stopped texting. Hearts forced himself to think optimistically about it. Surely there was a reasonable explanation for the sudden silence? Even though the messages claimed to have been read, maybe Ccino was just too busy to answer back. Hearts refused to get clingy about this, and even stopped going to the shop, both out of an increased workload and respect for his friend's boundaries. However by the end of the week and still no response, Hearts found himself at his limit. 

He stared miserably at the front of the cafe, the worry gnawing away at his soul. The normally lit windows were dark, a tiny closed sign sitting in the door. Even the lazy cat Hearts gave pets to every time he stopped by was gone. The place looked empty and forlorn. Letting out a sigh, Hearts pulled out his phone and began clicking through his contacts. One more try. One more attempt to reach Ccino and if it didn’t work he would start asking around. 

Hearts held his breath as the phone started ringing. On the third ring Hearts heard a click, and his soul soared as he heard the sounds of someone on the other line. His relief was quickly squashed when he heard his friend’s voice on the other side.

“...Hello?” His normally soft and warm voice was gone, replaced with something that sounded dead and  _ tired _ . Hearts could barely believe this was the same happy barista he’s becoming attached to.

“Ccino? Sweetie are you alright, I haven’t heard from you in a week and your cafe is closed…” Hearts heard rustling followed by a muffled curse.

“Oh man it’s been a week? Stars damn- im so sorry Hearts I didn’t mean to ghost you I swear! I’m just-I was-.” Ccino growled with frustration, and Hearts could feel his soul aching at the exhaustion and sadness in his friend’s tone.

“Hey hun it’s ok you don’t have to apologize, just- look are you home right now? I’d like to see you if that's ok.” Ccino’s breath hitched, and when he spoke again Hearts could practically feel the longing in his voice.

“My room is kind of a mess, you might not want to come over.” Hearts chuckled at that, leaning against one of the cafe’s windows. “Darlin you're a Sans, I would be more worried if it wasn't a mess. I won't run away from a bit of clutter, I promise.” 

“O-ok, but don't say I didn't warn you.”

Ccino hung up the phone, and Hearts waited by the door, hearing footsteps slowly make their way down the steps inside. The door slowly opened and Hearts had to suppress a cry of surprise. He was alway pretty good at reading people’s faces, being a judge and all that, but Hearts was also good at seeing people’s emotional states. 

Ccino, his poor friend, looked like an absolute mess. His clothes were stained and rumpled, Hearts winced at the rough shape the outfit was in. Ccino himself looked exhausted, his normally fuzzy eyelights blurred and greyed. If Hearts didn’t know any better he’d say that his friend came down with a horrible illness. 

Then again what is Depression but a horrible illness of the mind?

Ccino gave a tired grin, raising his hands up slightly to do some jazz hands.

“Tahdahhhh, look at me up and at ‘em before noon.”

Hearts forced himself to calm down, if he reacted badly to this now Ccino might take it as a sign to not open up to him. He smiled at the barista, gently reaching out to grab one of his hands.

“Thank you for letting me in,” he said softly, and by the way Ccino’s eyes widened Hearts could tell he knew he didn’t just mean letting him inside the cafe. Gently tugging on his hand, Ccino led Hearts inside, bringing him up the stairs for the first time.

Ccino wasn’t lying when he said the place was a mess. Hearts could see clothes strewn everywhere and piles of dishes occupying every bit of space available. The area was surprisingly spacious considering its above such a small cafe. The cream walls brightened up the place despite the mess, and Hearts could see a couple windows that would bring in more light if they weren’t covered. The only parts of the room that seemed clean were the litter boxes and cat bowls. There were three cats hanging around right now, but from past conversations Hearts knew there were a lot more that come and go. Hearts found himself struggling to decide whether it was adorable that Ccino took diligent care of his cats when in this mood, or concerned that he placed the cat’s well being over his own. Two of the three hanging around he didn’t recognize, but the third was the cat hanging around the door every time he showed up. That one seemed content to doze off, but the other two stared at Hearts. If he didn’t know any better he’d say they were glaring at him, studying the way he interacted with their owner.

Giving Ccino’s hand a light squeeze before letting go, Hearts made his way to the windows and opened up the curtains, letting the bright daylight from outside shine in. Hearts spun to face Ccino, hands on his hips.

“Ok, first thing we’re gonna do is clean up this place a little. A clean environment is essential to a better mindspace.” Hearts paused and took a closer look at Ccino. “Ok wait the very first thing we’re gonna do is I’m going to give you a hug. And then you’re going to shower and change while I tidy up. Think you can handle that?” Ccino fidgeted, head bowed slightly. 

“You don’t have to do that for me, I’ll clean up eventually ya know. Just been feeling kinda lazy lately.” 

Hearts made their way back over to Ccino and pulled him into a hug, noticing with a small spark of smugness that his friend was short enough to fit under his chin perfectly. He plopped his head on top of Ccino as the barista slowly wrapped his arms around him and for the first time Hearts was close enough to feel his friend trembling.

“Hey,” his voice was no louder than a whisper, but Ccino flinched as if he'd been hit. “I want to help you. I’ve been where you are and it’s no fun yeah? Yain't gotta do it alone anymore ya hear me? I’ve got ya darling.”

Ccino was silent, long enough for Hearts to start worrying he overstepped. Then, just as he was about to pull away, Ccino let out a choked sob and clung harder to Hearts. Hearts let out an upset noise and started rubbing the barista’s back, whispering reassurance as his friend cried out. 

After a while Hearts managed to coax Ccino into taking a shower and getting changed into some soft pj’s. In the meantime Hearts called Undyne and let her know he was taking tomorrow off too, before gathering all the dishes in the room and heading downstairs to wash them all up. He stopped every now and then to pet the cats. The other two seemed to have gotten over whatever hostility they had towards him before and now demanded attention, weaving between his legs and hopping up on chairs to mewl at him as he walked by. The door cat, who Ccino had told him was named Chamomile, almost seemed amused at his fellow cats. Hearts found it amusing his friend’s pets seemed so expressive, much more than any other pet cats he’s seen. By the time he finished the dishes and started on dusting, not wanting to go through his friend’s dirty laundry, Ccino had returned from his shower. He didn’t magically look better, but his eyelights were slowly brightening back up, and his hands weren’t trembling anymore. With a small nod Ccino started picking up the laundry, allowing Hearts to ramble on about light subjects in an effort to distract the barista. 

In no time at all the room had been cleaned and the two were huddled together under a blanket, watching a movie. Hearts had always been one to share his affection physically, and it filled him with delight when Ccino reacted positively to cuddling with him and a cat or two. Hearts never felt so cozy in his life, a cat laying on his lap, a soft blanket around his shoulders, and a warm friend plastered against his side. Ccino let out a sigh and slowly laid his head on Hearts shoulder.

_ Don’t you dare start crying I swear to god keep yourself together damn it! _

“Thanks for being here,” Ccino yawned, still looking tired, but lighter too as if a fog had been lifted. “You’re the best.” With that Ccino drifted off to sleep, unaware of the thoughts racing in his friend’s head. Hearts feels like he was just punched but in the best possible way. Ccino was so cute it was practically a crime and now he fell asleep on him?! It’s official, Hearts has died and gone to heaven. He slowly readjusted so that he and Ccino were laying down, the latter of whom immediately latched onto Heart’s shirt, as if unconsciously asking him to stay. Hearts smiled at that, mentally squealing about how adorable the action was, and allowed himself to fall asleep.

~

Hearts groaned as he felt something furry brush across his face. Even half asleep he could tell he’s not in his own room, but the thought didn’t really mean much to him, with his line of work this was the norm, though he’s never felt quite so comfortable after a shift. The furry thing brushed across his face again and he grumbled, drawing the warm body infront of him closer. Hearts twitched as he started hearing hushed whispers followed by purring. The warm body currently in his arms started wiggling, and Hearts couldn’t help but let out a whine. He knew most people would expect him to be gone by now, but it’s been so long since he could just hold someone, it’s hard to let go now that he has the chance. The person beside him stopped moving entirely, having gone stiff. After a few moments they seemed to relax and Hearts nearly drifted back to sleep. But then a hand cupped the side of his face, bringing him back into a half awake state. Did the person want affection? Because he’s always down for sleepy morning kisses. The hand was joined by another, the monster seemed content to just touch Heart’s face, tracing over his nose ridge and around his mouth. 

He let out a sigh as the person seemed to draw even closer, feeling their hot breath on his face. Hearts waited, expecting the monster to close the gap, instead he felt something rough scrape across the area between his eyes, followed by quiet giggling. Now that he thinks about it, the breath hitting his face wasn’t too pleasant either, and what is that brushing against his face again?!

Hearts eyes opened and he found himself face to face with a cat. He yelped and jerked back as laughter erupted from behind the animal. He blinked wildly, trying to process what was happening. He was still in Ccino’s room, his friend currently gasping for air in between fits of laughter. The cat between them meowed before hopping off the bed. 

“Wh- but you- I thought,” Hearts stuttered trying to get his thoughts together. 

_ God his laugh is amazing _ -no wait wrong thoughts! 

He felt his face flush at the realization that he was cuddling his friend, not only that but he was also expecting kisses! From said friend!! Friends don’t want to kiss friends...right? 

Unaware of his internal crisis, Ccino pulled himself together enough to scoot back over to Hearts. Before he could really process what was happening Ccino practically wrapped himself around the taller skeleton, propping his head up on Heart’s sternum and curling an arm around his ribs.

“Good morning,” he murmured with a smile. “Sorry about the cat, I thought it would be funny.” 

Hearts grinned, feeling like he was going to combust from cuteness overload on the inside. He place a hand on Ccino’s back and raised the other one to poke the barista’s forehead. 

“Eh, it ain’t the worst morning breath I’ve woken up to, and at least you and the cat are cute, been one too many times I’ve woken up to some downright scary faces.”

Ccino let out a giggle at that, a mischievous expression flashing across his face. He leans in closer to Heart’s face, tilting his head and making his eyes go wide.

“You think I’m cute?” He asked quietly while a blush appeared across his cheeks, and Hearts felt his soul stop in its tracks. The expression he made must’ve been great because Ccino dropped the act instantly, burying his face in Heart’s chest as he snickered.

Hearts laid there, nervously laughing alongside his friend as his mind tried desperately to reboot. When he could finally string together a coherent thought it was just two words over and over again.

_ Oh no. _

Despite his realization that his feelings for Ccino were more than platonic that morning Hearts did nothing to act on it. He didn’t forget the reason why he stayed in the first place, right now Ccino’s needs had to be placed above his own. The two sat down for a long while and talked. Ccino opened up about his abandonment issues and how hard it’s been running a business on his own, and in return Hearts opened up about his world and what he does every day. He expected that to be the end of it, for Ccino to be disgusted and kick him out. What he got instead was a hug and a cat deposited on his lap. 

“That doesn’t change who you are to me,” Ccino had said, a soft understanding look on his face. Needless to say more tears were shed. A couple times Ccino stood up to make some tea or feed the cats while they took a quick break. Before Hearts knew it, the sky had grown dark again and it was time for him to leave.

They both stood by the door, reluctant to be the first to say goodbye. A couple cats wove between Heart’s legs, wailing as if they knew he was trying to leave. Ccino shooed them away, scolding them as he did so. Hearts couldn’t help but chuckle at the frankly adorable scowl the other wore.

“Hah those two, little troublemakers I swear they’re sentient,” Ccino said with a suspicious look thrown the cat’s way. Hearts laughed again, feeling some tension leave the room. Ccino grinned at him, face flushed a light purple. 

“Well,” Hearts said with a sigh, the light mood leaving him as quickly as it came. “Guess I should get goin hun, stay safe alright?” Hearts winked, turning to face the door, when a hand grabbed his shoulder with surprising force.

“You dont have to go!”

Hearts spun back around to face Ccino, soul racing. Before he could say anything, however, Ccino yanked his hand back, a horrified expression on his face. “O-h gosh,” he stuttered, taking a step away from Hearts. “Sorry I shouldn’t have grabbed you, y-you’re free to leave whenever you want to, sorry.” 

Hearts felt like he was being stabbed staring at the sad look on his friend’s face. Gathering himself together, Hearts shrugged, doing his best to look nonchalant. “Darling,” he started watching sadly as his friend tried to hide a flinch, as if expecting a hit. “Do you want some company tonight?” 

Ccino looked up at him, surprised, but at the fond look Hearts sent him the barista seemed to relax. “Yes, I would like it very much if you stayed with me tonight please.” Internally, Hearts did a victory dance, fistpumps and all. On the outside however, he just grinned mischeviously at his friend. “Sure buddy, less of a walk for me.”

Ccino snorted, leading Hearts back up the stairs. The cats, so distraught earlier, were purring as they followed the two, ready for another night of two heat sources. 

Just like that, a couple nights became a couple weeks, which turned into a couple months. It’s not that Hearts stayed over  _ every _ night...Just every day and most nights. It got to the point to where his brother teasingly asked if Hearts was going to move in with Ccino. Only to blink as Hearts stopped like a deer in headlights, before pulling out his phone and talking with his friend. About an hour later, Hearts was saying goodbye to his stunned brother, boxes in hand.

With Hearts staying with Ccino he could finally start helping out with the cafe. Taking some of the burden off his friend made all the difference. Paired with the efforts of his therapist, Ccino seemed to be doing better day by day. The bags under his eyes didn’t quite go away, and there were still plenty of rough days to go around, but Hearts could see his barista was happier and less stressed.

The longer they spent together the harder it was getting for Hearts to ignore his feelings. Ccino was mischievous at best, and delighted in making Hearts flush from flattery and causal affection. Most would find that ridiculous considering who Hearts is, which he supposed was fair, it was a bit strange for him to get embarrassed over some compliments and hugs.

But the difference here is that it’s  _ sincere _ . Ccino isn’t trying to get anything more from Hearts than a blush and stuttered laugh, and Hearts could tell Ccino  _ meant _ every compliment he said, which made hiding just how much the smaller skeleton means to him even harder!

Still, no matter how difficult it got Hearts found himself content with the friendship they formed. If something more came out of it he would be delighted, but if not...well, having Ccino as a friend is more than enough for Hearts, no matter how much the pain in his soul screamed otherwise.

The purple clad skeleton sighed at his sappy thoughts, forcing his attention back to the paperwork sitting in front of him. The bills for next month were due, luckily they’ve made more than enough to cover it, there might even be some left over to start looking at advertising!

Heart’s fantasies of cute commercial jingles were interrupted by scratching at the office door. Standing up to stretch, Hearts ambled over to the door, letting in whichever cat saw fit to harass him this time. A chunky blue cat waddled in, much to his delight. This cat, the very same he saw guarding the door every day, was one of his favorites-no matter how many times Ccino told him it’s not nice to play favorites- and he was always happy to see the normally lazy animal come seeking affection.

But today there was something different about Chamomile. A small piece of paper was tied to his collar, which the cat displayed proudly once fully in the room. 

“What’s this about little guy? Another one of Ccino’s jokes?” Carefully, Hearts took the note off Chanonile’s collar and unfolded it to read

_ Hearts, _

_ I wasn’t sure how to tell you this, so I thought a note would be cute! Please excuse the coffee stain >.<! _

Hearts let out a fond chuckle at the drawn face right next to a small stain.

_ So! You’re probably wondering why I wrote you a note instead of walking to the next room to tell you! _

“Hey darling? Hey! I’m wondering why you wrote me a note instead of walking to the next room to tell me!”

He heard Ccino giggling from the other side of the wall. “Just read it you dip!” Was it just because he’s tired or did Hearts hear a strained nervousness in his friends voice? A little concerned by now he continued.

_ Well this is kinda hard to say, but if what I was seeing is right then it’ll probably go ok! Hearts. Aw heck I was gonna write this whole confession thing down but like, writing is gross ya know and I’m kinda running out of time today so: I like you! I wanna smooch your face and stuff! And I think you like me too? Either that or I just made a horrible mistake haha...I’d like us to remain friends if I did? _

_ -Ccino (obviously who else would it be) _

Hearts stared at the paper, reading the last paragraph. Then rereading it. Then reading it one last time to be sure. Once it clicked Hearts gasped, feeling the heat rush to his face. 

Not wasting a second, Hearts rushed to the door, dramatically pushing it further open and flying into the room he  _ knew _ Ccino was waiting in, listening for any sign that Hearts finished the note.

And there he stood. Stained apron on top of a worn sweater and baggy pants. Hearts could see a smear of sugar on Ccino’s forehead, and sleepy eyes betraying his worry.

Ccino has never looked more wonderful to him than in that moment.

Hearts strode forward, gently grabbing onto his barista’s shoulders. “Ccino,” he breathed, a thousand questions running through his mind. He was worried this was a trick, that it was a misunderstanding. But the look on Ccino’s face right now, vulnerable and hopeful and oh so painfully fond, Hearts knew in an instant it was all real.

Someone liked him back.

And not just someone,  _ Ccino, _ witty wonderful Ccino, liked him back.

Hearts raised a hand to cup his barista’s face, running a thumb just under one of his eye sockets. Ccino closed his eyes briefly, leaning into the contact.

“Ccino,” Hearts swallowed, stars how was it possible for someone to look so cute?! “Darling, may I kiss you?” Ccino’s cheeks darkened slightly as his grin grew brighter. Gently he pulled Heart’s face closer, until they were just a hair's breadth away. Then he nodded and Hearts leaned in the rest of the way to fill that gap.

**Author's Note:**

> I have too many Feelings about this ship ok


End file.
